Various Artists - London Is The Place For Me 2: Calypso & Kwela, Highlife & Jazz From Young Black London (Honest Jon's)

A couple of months ago I posted the first album in this series by the Honest Jon's record label (London Is The Place For Me - located here.) This is the second volume in the series, which revives the same tried and tested solution of the first volume offering up another homage to calypso; but also this time around injecting a bit of jazz, some kwela and some highlife tunes into the mix.

Lyrically the calypsos should have you roaring - and there's definitely that post-war spirit of good times and humour permeating throughout the album - Young Tiger's neat diss of the be-boppers by name opens up proceedings in excellent fashion. Musicians like E.T.Mensah, Shake Keane (Joe Harriott's original trumpet player) and more well known and staple Calypsonians such as Lords Kitchener and Beginner all figure in this compilation which is sure to be a well received addition to anyone's collection and will be occupying a privileged place my cd deck for many a year to come. Built to last and highly recommended. Enjoy.

Tracklist:

01. Young Tiger - Calypso Be
02. Ambrose Campbell - Yolanda
03. Mona Baptiste - Calypso Blues
04. West African Rhythm Brothers - Adura
05. Lord Kitchener - My Wife's Nightie
06. West African Rhythm Brothers - Ominira
07. West African Rhythm Brothers - Eroya
08. Lord Beginner - General Election
09. The Lion - Kalenda March
10. Tunji Oyelana - Omonike
11. Shake Keane And His Highlifers - Baionga
12. King Timothy - Gerrard Street
13. West African Swing Stars - E.T. Mensah's Rolling Ball
14. Ambrose Campbell - Ashiko Rhythm
15. West African Swing Stars - Omo Africa
16. Gwigwi Mrwebi - Nyusamkhaya
17. Russ Henderson - West Indian Drums
18. Lord Beginner - Nobody Wants To Grow Old
19. Rans Boi's Ghana Highlife Band - Gbonimawo
20. West African Rhythm Brothers - Sing The Blues

Download Link - Mediafire

Various Artists - Explosivos: Deep Soul From The Latin Heart (Vampisoul) (2005)

A Latin Soul jukebox -- overflowing with great singles from the glory days of the Spanish Harlem scene! The vibe here is definitely on the dirtier end of late 60s Latin -- that groove that picked up plenty of funk and soul from other strands of the New York scene, and took it way way uptown where it was cooked up with a nice dash of salsa! And while there was certainly some work of the time that tried to cash in on the boogaloo groove and never really made the cut, the tunes on this set are all the real deal -- the hard-hitting numbers that stood out as some of the best cuts coming out from labels like Tico, Fania, Cotique, and Alegre. 

CD features a total of 20 great tracks, all of them cookers -- with titles that include "Soul Gritty" by Ralph Robles, "You Need Help" by Monguito Santamaria, "Deep" by Quetcy Alma, "Chicarrones" by The Latin Gents, "Fat Papa" by Charlie Palmieri, "Mama's Girl" by King Nando, "Chacon Pata Pata" by Chacon, "Get It Right" by Alfredito, "Apewalk" by Al Escobar, "Stand" by Harvey Averne, "King Of Latin Soul" by Joey Pastrana, "Kool It Here Comes The Fuzz" by Jimmy Sabater, and "African Twist" by Eddie Palmieri.

Tracklist:

01. Latin Soul Drive Is Here - Chollo Rivera & The Latin Soul Drives
02. King Of Latin Soul - Joey Pastrana
03. Psychedelic Baby - Joe Cuba Sextet
04. Stand - The Harvey Averne Band
05. I'm Gonna Leave You - Russel Cohen Y La New Yorkers
06. Soul Gritty - Ralph Robles
07. You Need Help - Monguito Santamaria
08. Kool It (Here Comes The Fuzz) - Jimmy Sabater
09. Use It Before You Lose It - Bobby Valentín
10. Fat Papa - Charlie Palmieri
11. Deep - Quetcy Alma
12. Electric Latin Soul - Flash & The Dynamics
13. Apewalk - Al Escobar
14. Get It Right - Alfredito And His Orchestra
15. Chacon Pata Pata - Chacon
16. African Twist - Eddie Palmieri
17. Lazy Boogaloo - George Guzman
18. Mama's Girl - King Nando
19. Hit De Bongo - Tito Puente & His Orchestra
20. Chicarrones - The Latin Gents

Download Link - Mediafire

Various Artists - Bossa Nova & The Rise Of Brazillian Music In The 1960's (Soul Jazz Records)

Another great release from UK record label Soul Jazz Records. Forget the cocktail-sipping tropical image that bossa nova became, bossa nova’s origins in Brazil are that of a stunning modernist and revolutionary music that reflected the radical and exciting idealism of the country at the start of the 1960s. This music is the real deal!

This two disc compilation charts the rise of the events that led to the arrival of this new musical movement and what happened next. João Gilberto, Tom Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Elis Regina, Gilberto Gil and Baden Powell all feature alongside many other Brazilian artists who launched their careers during this amazing period.

Tracklist:

1. Elis Regina — Roda

2. Roberto Menescal — Inverno

3. Joao Gilberto — O Sapo

4. Ginga Trio — Yemanja

5. Jorge Ben — Lalari-Olala

6. Dorival Caymmi — Berimbau

7. Sergio Mendes & Bossa Rio — Primitivo

8. Nara Leao — Birimbau

9. Tamba Trio — Mas Que Nada

10. Baden Powell & Vinicius Moraes — Canto De Ossanha

11. Zimbo Trio — Zimbo Samba

12. Gilberto Gil — Viramundo

13. Elis Regina — Menino Das Laranjas

14. Edu Lobo — Jogo De Roda

15. Elizete Cardoso — Vida Bela

16. Dom Um Romao — Jangal

17. Wanda Sa — Adriana

18. Elizete Cardoso — E De Lei

19. Antonio Carlos Jobim — O Morro Nao Tem Vez

20. Edu Lobo — Ponteio

21. Tamba 4 — Samba Blim

22. Pery Ribeiro — Canto Negro

23. Maria Bethania — Ye-Mele

24. Miltinho — Faca Como Eu

25. Jorge Ben — Rosa, Menina Rosa

26. Milton Nascimento — Tres Pontas

27. Baden Powell & Vinicius De Moraes — Canto De Xango

28. Zelia Barbosa — Carcara

29. Tamba Trio — Boranda

30. Geraldo Vandre — Hora De Lutar

31. Elis Regina — Tereza Sabe Sambar

32. Edu Lobo — Aguaverde

33. Jorge Ben — Carnaval Triste

34. Marilia Medalha — Maria Moita

Download Link - Mediafire

Various Artists - New Orleans Funk: The Original Sound Of Funk Vol. 2 (Soul Jazz Records)

This is Soul Jazz Records’ new journey into the heart of New Orleans and a guide to the city’s finest Funk music produced in the late 1960s and early 1970s.’ Featuring everyone from The Meters to Eddie Bo, Lee Dorsey to Betty Harris, this is a who’s who of the Crescent City’s most famous and most funky! The city of New Orleans has deep musical roots that stretch back to Africa. New Orleans first gave birth to Jazz music, a Black musical form centred on rhythm, improvisation, freedom and collectivity at the turn of the century. Similarly in the late 1960s New Orleans Funk came to define a unique sound, mixing Caribbean rhythms, New Orleans second-line syncopation and rhythm and blues, all played by the Big Easy’s finest musicians. 

Whilst Jazz and Funk music spread throughout the world, many African-American musical traditions remained within the city limits such as Mardi Gras and Carnival, Saturday Night Fish Fries, Funeral Marching bands and much more which partly explains why New Orleans music is so unique. The album comes with extensive sleeve-notes, exclusive photography and more, and is an essential guide to the musical landscape of New Orleans and - together with Soul Jazz Records’ earlier New Orleans’ releases - presents the definitive story of New Orleans Funk.

Although on the mainland coast, New Orleans is also surrounded by lakes giving the city an island feel. Similarly its proximity to Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti and the other West Indian Isles means that Latin and Caribbean musical influences are in its veins as much as American musical traditions. The upside of this city’s isolation is that New Orleans musical traditions flourished away from those of the rest of America. A thriving city full of artists, musicians, singers, producers, record companies, studios (well one studio actually) led to a 24-hour, 7-day a week musical life, playing in clubs, bars, brothels, carnivals and parades. The downside of the cities isolation from the rest of the US was that the city never developed a solid music industry to back up the creative over-supply. Whilst New York had Atlantic, Detroit had Motown, Memphis had Stax, Chicago had Chess, Los Angeles had Modern, New Orleans had a multitude of small businesses fighting for space - and often each other. Without the marketing, promotional weight, business nouse and financial clout, New Orleans labels found it hard to get the nationwide distribution necessary to fill the million-odd jukeboxes throughout the country. So whilst every family in America knows the music of Gladys Knight or Smokey Robinson few could tell you about – let alone hum a tune from - Benny Spellman, Inell Young, Warren Lee….

This is far from being a reflection of the artists creativity or musicality - as anyone can tell you New Orleans melodies are the catchiest of all - more it is a reflection of the limitations of the local music industry. Some New Orleans artists became successful throughout the US such as Fats Domino in the 1950s and in the late 1960s The Meters and Lee Dorsey, but many artists remained within the city limits. This makes for a fascinating goldmine of music released by a complex myriad of small labels run mainly by New Orleans producers, promoters and artists themselves. New Orleans Funk 2 brings together many of these artists along with text, sleeve-notes and photographs that gives social and historical context to the incredibly funky music of New Orleans.

----- www.souljazzrecords.co.uk

Tracklist:

1. Cyril Neville — Gossip

2. Eddie Bo — If It's Good To You (It's Good For You)

3. Ray J — Right Place Wrong Time

4. The Meters — Chicken Strut

5. Allen Toussaint — Tequila

6. The Prime Mates — Hot Tamales

7. Betty Harris — Show It

8. Lee Dorsey — Four Corners

9. Bonnie And Sheila — You Keep Me Hanging On

10. The Gaturs — Yeah You're Right, You Know You're Right

11. Danny White — The Twitch

12. Inell Young — What Do You See In Her

13. Earl King — Street Parade

14. Eddie Bo & The Soul Finders — The Rubber Band

15. Benny Spellman — Fortune Teller

16. Warren Lee — Mama Said We Can't Get Married

17. Betty Harris — 12 Red Roses

18. Joe Chopper & The Swinging 7 Soul Band — Soul Pusher

19. Eddie Bo — Hey Bo

20. Johnny Moore — Haven't I Been Good To You

21. Jimmy Hicks — I'm Mr Big Stuff

22. Warren Lee — Funky Belly

23. G. Davis And R. Tyler — Hold On Help Is On The Way

24. Art Neville — Bo Diddley

25. Porgy Jones — Dap

Download Link - Mediafire